Elisabeth Borne activated an interministerial crisis unit on Thursday August 17, according to information provided by Matignon. This cell comes as the country has been experiencing a scorching heat wave for several days. Thursday morning, seven departments (Loire, Haute-Loire, Ain, Isère, Rhône, Savoie and Haute-Savoie) were on heatwave orange vigilance.
The heat wave is expected to intensify in the coming days and France is expected to record its most intense and latest heat episode this summer, according to Météo-France. Twelve other departments are placed on orange alert from this Friday, August 17.
Members of several ministries participate in this cell. It is chaired, from the Ministry of the Interior, located on Place Beauvau, by the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Jean-Denis Combrexelle. Participating are his counterparts from the main ministries concerned (Interior, Health, Solidarity, Agriculture, Transport) as well as the prefects and services of the departments concerned, said Matignon.
